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Floor Speech

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Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, last week, I spoke about a few of President Trump's excellent choices to lead his foreign policy agenda. Today, I would like to highlight a few of the impressive individuals he has tapped to lead his agenda for American energy abundance at the Energy Department, the EPA, and Interior.

It is no secret that Texas is an energy-producing State. The 30 million people I represent have been suffering from high gas prices, along with inflation and higher utility bills, under President Biden these last 4 years. From day one of his Presidency, President Biden made clear that he was taking his cues not from people like my constituents, who had to pay these higher prices, but from radical activists looking to further their leftwing climate agenda. He started by canceling the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would have created jobs and helped keep gas prices affordable.

While Texans, along with other Americans, were suffering from historically high inflation, President Biden responded to their pleas by signing into law a so-called Inflation Reduction Act, which I like to point out did nothing to reduce inflation. Well, the Inflation Reduction Act, in fact, added more burdensome regulations and wasteful spending, while President Biden himself admitted that the law has ``less to do with inflation.''

Adding insult to injury, the EPA put into place a tailpipe rule that creates emissions standards so stringent they practically force consumers to choose an electric vehicle rather than a gas-powered car. Of course, that was part of the goal. No one I know of wants to be told by the government what kind of car they have to buy, but consider, as well, that Texans are already having trouble keeping up with their bills due to high inflation. Does President Biden really think forcing them to buy an expensive electric vehicle or forcing hard-working people who can't afford an electric vehicle, even with the subsidy, to subsidize wealthier Americans so that they could do so is helpful? It makes no sense whatsoever.

Finally, by significantly limiting America's LNG exports, liquefied natural gas, many of which leave the country and travel to our allies by way of Texas ports, President Biden gave a gift to Vladimir Putin and forced our European allies to rely more heavily on Russia and Saudi Arabia for their energy needs.

It should be no surprise to the Biden administration that Texans voted against a President who prioritized keeping radical climate activists happy at the expense of average Americans.

But with President Trump at the helm, I have no doubt that Texans will be able to breathe a sigh of relief when it comes to their energy needs. Chris Wright, whom the President has tapped to lead his Department of Energy, will bring a wealth of experience in the oil and gas sector, and he has been an outspoken advocate for economic growth and American entrepreneurship.

I also look forward to working with former Congressman Lee Zeldin, whom the President has chosen to be the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

And then there is the former Governor of North Dakota, Doug Burgum, an outstanding choice to lead the Department of the Interior. He will bring a fresh perspective to Washington from his excellent track record as Governor.

I look forward to working with each of these Cabinet nominees, and I hope they will embrace the all-of-the-above energy strategy that includes all forms of energy, something that Texas has always championed.

Texas-based companies are making serious strides in energy innovation. Every day, they are finding new ways to make our most prevalent and affordable energy sources cleaner. But, to that end, there is a lot of work that needs to be done to reverse the damage caused by the current administration.

First off, the President's pause on LNG exports must be lifted. As many Texans know, LNG is one of the cleanest sources of energy on the planet. If activists are serious about working in good faith to lower CO2 emissions, they should be pushing for more--not less-- LNG that, produced here in the United States, could be provided to our friends and allies around the world.

When our European allies and others can't access American LNG, they have to turn elsewhere to ensure that they can keep the lights on. Alternative countries like Russia and Saudi Arabia don't have nearly the same environmental standards as we have here. The last thing the United States should do is to cause our allies to rely more on Vladimir Putin and Russia for their energy needs, but that is the consequence of President Biden's policies.

I spoke yesterday on how China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea are working in concert to undermine American interests around the world in a very dangerous situation. It is not an overstatement to say that President Biden's ban on LNG exports directly advances the interests of this axis of authoritarians. That is dangerous.

It is clear that we need to be producing more domestic energy of all kinds to support not only our domestic needs but our friends and allies around the world, and President Trump has made a great choice to help advance that effort.

Over at the Department of the Interior, I hope that Governor Burgum will get to work quickly to reform and streamline the permitting process for energy activities on Federal lands. This is one of the most serious self-inflicted wounds that the U.S. Government has inflicted on itself by restricting access to streamlining permitting.

Another pressing issue for the incoming administration is that NEPA is in desperate need of reform. These are the environmental review programs.

Under the Biden administration's unwielding handling of this process, costs and timelines have been unpredictable, making it nearly impossible to tap the vast natural resources our Nation is so abundantly blessed with.

My Republican colleagues and I stand ready to work all of these nominees to reverse the harmful policies of the current administration, like the tailpipe rule, turbocharge America's energy sector, and pass commonsense permitting reform.

I look forward to working with President Trump's team, and I am confident that together we can put the full forces of the Texas energy sector back on display and once again unleash affordable, reliable, and secure energy right here in America.

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